Pneumatic engine-starter.



J.A.HEANY. PNEUMATIC ENGINE STARTER. APPLIUATI/ON FILED JULY 17, 1911.

1,029,994. Patented June 18, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

v wilme/gwo J. A. HEANY. PNEUMATIC ENGINE STARTER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 17,1911.

Patented June 18,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wane/does J. HBANY. PNEUMATIC ENGINE STARTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1911.

1,029,994, Patented June 18,1912.

SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JOHN ALLEN I-IEANY, or WASHINGTON, ms'rmo'r or consumer-A...

PNEUMATIC ENGINE-STARTER.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Application filed July 17, 1911. Serial No. 638,875.

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Imn'ovenients in Pneumatic En ine-Starters of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagram view of a motor vehicle showing the preferred location of my device thereon; Fig. 2 is a view of my apparatus from the front side thereof Fig. 3 is a diagonal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 5; Fig. 4t is a detail side elevation of the clutch for locking the large spu'r gear to the driving shaft when the ap pliance is used as a motor for driving the crank shaft of the engine; Fig.5 is a back View of the appliance, that is, a view taken from the side opposite to that seen in Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a diagonal sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. v V

This invention has relation to that class of pneumatic engine starters especially adapted for starting internal combustion engines by applying storedup power to the crank shaft of the engine to rotate the crank shaft independently of the power of the engine itself until the engine begins to run on its own power; and the object of this'invention is to provide a simple pneumatic appliance-which may be used as an air motor for starting the crank shaft of the engine and which, after the engine is started and is running 011 its own power, will be converted into an air pump or compressor which shall restore or replenish the pressure which was consumed in starting the engine, suitable automatic means beingprovided for-stopping the actionvof the device as a pump or compressor and restoring the parts to posi tion for operation as an air motor as soon as a predetermined pressure in" the storage tank is obtained, as'more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the preferred embodiment of my apparatus I V mount the same on a frame av which is adapted to be fastened to the frame of the motor vehicle .just in front of the radiator, as shown'in Fig. 1. Mounted'to oscillate on trunnions b journaled in this frame is a pair of cylinders 0 whose piston rods are both connectedrto a wrist pin d carried by a cog wheel e whose shaft f is j' urnaled in the frame a at a point below and exactly mid-way between the tru'nnions of the two cylinders. These cylinders cooperate with suitable ports in the frame, the ports'being alternately brought into register with ports 9 at opposite ends of the cylinder by the oscillation of the cylinders, this construction constituting a well known form of motor in which the oscillation of the cylinders automatically admit and cut oil the motive fluid.

The spur gear 6 meshes with a gear h of suitable size and journaled on a tubular bearing 2' carried by the frame a, and slidably mounted on the hub of the gear h is one member j of the clutch, the other member A: of which is rigidly carriedby a shaft Z suitably coupled to the crank shaft m of the engine that is to .be started. The slidable member .j is feathered 011 the hub of the wheel It so as to slide thereon but not rotate independently thereof. The 'coilspring a normally tends to keep the clutch members 7' and k in engagement, and a yoke-like lever 0, pivoted at p to the frame a, is employed to push back theclutch member; 7', this lever 0 being provided with a pair of rollers q whichj'bear upon an annular flange 1" formed on said clutch member 7'. The shaft is journaled in the frame a and oneehd of it is provided with ratchet teeth or lugs 3 whereby it may be rotated. manually. in the usual way by a starting crank, should the pneumatic appliance be out of .order or the pressure tank be exhausted, and the other end of the shaft is, as stated coupled up to the engine shaft. The tubular bearin journaled pro ects, forwardly, from the frame, and on a similar projection t on the rear side of the frame is journaled a larger gear wheel u'which 'meshes with a small gear a; cut-in the shaft f. The gear a carries a suitable spring-ba1l clutch w which causes the gear u to automatically clutch the shaft Z when rotatin in-one direction and to run free' thereof w en running in the opposite direct-ion. The clutch w is fastened within the hub of the wheel a by a key 00, and the has pivotally connected to it a'valve stem o extending backward-1y, and on the rear end of this valve stem is; a cylindrical valve 7),

i, on which the gear h is I this valve being provided 7. with a pair.

of straight diametrical ports a, d-, and also with a pair of diagonal semi-circumferential portse and f. This valve 1) works in a cylinder 9' formed in or' attached'to the 'frame a','vin' the lower side of this cylinder are formed two orts k, 71 connected respectively to pipes-g and k, which leadby various branches,- as shownin Figs. 2 and 5,

;necte'd a pipe 0' whose other end to the-opposite ports of the cylinders o, in a well known manner. I V.

, In the top of the cylinder is formed a-port Z jwhichleadstothe atmosphere, and also anotherv port m which leads to a valve "chamber n, into which .chamber is con- 1sconnected-to a storage tank 9 mounted in a suitable place on the .vehicle. Aninwardly-opening check valve 9 controls 1 the port m, and this valve-is adapted to be 2o opened by means of a lever r pivoted on the frame. 'Anoutwardly-o ening check valve s controls'a passage lea ing from the valve chamber 12/ to a port t" entering the cylinder b back of the valve thereln, said valve '25 8 being heldto itsseat with a pressure which may be varied at will by means of a screw plug uand a coil spring a.

through the medium of an arm 0 at its upper end and a wire or rod ol connected to saidarm c and extending to'a point within conve'nient reach of the chauffeur. By

; means of this mechanism or any suitable equivalent arrangement'the check valve g may be opened' at'will and held open. Av suitable spring e tends tonormally closesaid check valve g and a coil spring f". tends toswing lever 7* out ofthe way of said valve Another 'rod or link 9? is pivotally connected to the arm a 'and has its free end extending loosely through an eye it in the lower end of the lever 0. On this rod 9 beyond the 'eye it is threaded a suitable nut or nuts 2' and between the eye it and the arm a is mounted a cam 7' which is circular in shape and is threaded on saidrod g for the purpose of permitting "it to be adjustedalong the rod. f v -The parts are shown in pumping position in Fig.3. In this position the clutch inembers j and is are in engagement and the valve 6 is adjusted to its, outer position,

with its' ports c, '2" in engagement res ectlvely with ports m and 'Therota Ion of the stub shaft Z by the engine shaft m will drive the gear 72, through the medium of the clutch j,-Zc, and the gear it will drive its-companion, gear 6 and thus reciprocate and oscillate the pistons connected thereto.

This operation-lot the pistons will draw air into the cylinders through the ports Z, z"

. the engine shaft. When the lever 0 is thus pulled. inwardly the latch as engages the catch 3/ and locks the lever in inner position. In this position the ports 0, a" will be outof action and the crossed circumferential ports 6, f will be brought into action, the port e being in connecting position between pipe systemj and the atmospheric port Z, and the other port f being brought to register with port m and the pipe system is". l/Vith the parts in this position the apparatus is ready to be used as a starter for the engine. To start the engine it is simply necessary to manually open valve 9 and hold it open during the operation of the device as a motor. Thus opening the valve 9 connects the valve system is with the pressure tank and this pipe system connects with the ports of the cylinders which are for the time being the inlet ports. The air is exhausted from the cylinders through pipe system 3' ,and thence to the atmosphere through ports 6 and Z. The location of the shaft f drives the large gear a through the medium of the small gear '0, and this large gear through the -medium of its clutch w drives the shaft 2. The ratio of these two gears 11 and u is such that the engine shaft will be driven comparatively slowly but with the maximum of ower.

lVl1e1 1 the engine has been started, the

chauffeur releases the pull rod or wire (Z and thus permits the valve- 9 to close and thus 4 cut ofi the supply of motive fluid to the motor, ..-Thus releasing .the valve opening mechanism immediately returns the parts to pumping position in the following' inanner When the valve 9 was opened, the arm a 'pulled the rod g? inwardlyfar enou h to cause the cam 4' to lift the latch 02 o the catch and the latch will thus be held out of engagement with the catch during the time the operator is holding open the valve. When he releases the valve opening mechanism the springs ffi w' and n all cooperate to bodily throw outwardly the rod 9' with its cam j? and the clutch lever and its latch :23, the latch lever being held up out of engagement with the catch 3 during this operation. The parts 'will then be in umping position, as shown in Fig.3, and t e power of the engine will be utilized to immediately restore the pressure in the tank p, thus immediately putting the apparatus in condition for use as a starting mechanism.

It will be observed that in the normal position of the parts the apparatus is converted into a motor, and the parts remain in this one since the engine shaft is being driven by the power of the engine itself and the gear u is running idly and besides the valve will be opened but for an instant.

It Will be observed also that the lock nuts '5 serve as a stop collar to prevent the clutch lever returning to normal position until the operator has released the valve.;ope'ning mechanism. This stop device 2' and also the cam 1' are adjustable along the rod 9 in order that the parts may be adjusted to operate nicely.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newvand desire tosecure by Let: ters Patent, is'

1. In an-apparatus of the class described, the combination of a storage tank, a convertible airmotor and pump, differential gearing between the same and the engine shaft, and automatic means for converting the apparatus from a pump to a motor upon the combination of a and locking the parts in the attainment of a predetermined pressure in the tank.

- 2. In an apparatus of the class described,

ressure tank, a convertible air motor an pum tank and the engine shaft, di erential earing between the same and the engines aft, automatic clutches for the gearing, and means for automatically throwing out the pumping gearing and looking it out of action an converting the apparatus into a motor upon the attainment of a predetermined pressure in the tank;

3. In an. ap aratus of the class described, a storage'tan a pneumatic appliance convertible from a' motor to a pump and vice versa, means connectin it to the engine shaft, and means opera 1e by-excess pressure m the tank for automatically converting the appliance from a pump to a motor t at position, and manual means for startin the motor and simultaneously unlocking t e aforesaid lockin qneans, whereby uponielease of the manua meansfoustafting the motor the parts will be'restor'ed topumping position.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a storage tank, a pneumatic appliance convertible from a pump to a motor and 'vice verse, means connecting'theshaft thereof to the shaft of the engine, valve mechanism for said pneumatic appliance, automatic means for shifting this valve mechanism to motor position and lockin it in that position, manual means for start ng the motor and simultaneously unlocking the parts, and means for restoring the arts to pumping position when said manna means is released.

In testimon whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in t e resence of two witnesses.

J HN ALLEN HEANY. Witnesses:

J. E. GARNER, W. R. BROWN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained the cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

1 Washington, .0. O.

between the 

